Producer KC Bokadia reveals the tough side of acting legend Raaj Kumar, who called everyone ‘Jaani’ after his dog and was harder to handle than Amitabh Bachchan.Widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema, Raaj Kumar apparently had one silly habit: he used to call pretty much everyone by the name of his dog. Not as an insult, but in a rather endearing manner. While he had this silly side, renowned filmmaker KC Bokadia recently shared that it was tough to handle the acting legend, even more so than dealing with Amitabh Bachchan.
Often hailed as one of Indian cinema’s finest actors, Raaj Kumar was known not only for his powerful screen presence but also for his eccentric personality. His dialogues continue to be remembered till date. In a recent interview, filmmaker KC Bokadia recently shared some memories of working with the legendary actor. He revealed that handling Raaj Kumar was even more difficult than working with Amitabh Bachchan.
Bokadia recalled one of Raaj Kumar’s unusual habits. “His dog’s name was Jaani. So, he used to call everyone ‘Jaani.’ Fortunately, he never called me by that name and addressed me only as ‘Bokadia saab,’” he said in an interview with IndiaTV.The filmmaker also narrated how he managed to cast the actor in ‘Police Aur Mujrim’ at the very last moment, just a day before the film’s muhurat shot. “I called him over the phone one evening. We had planned the muhurat shot for the next day. If he doesn’t know the person’s face, he won’t do the film. The story comes second for him. As soon as he picked up the phone, I told him, ‘Raaj saab, let me share a line with you.’ He agreed. Handling him was tougher than handling Bachchan saab. Yes, Bachchan is a calculative person, but Raaj saab was moody,” Bokadia shared.
Explaining further, he added, “It’s easy to explain things to a calculative person. But when it comes to a moody person, it depends on their mood from time to time. The cow may give milk if it feels like it; if it doesn’t, it won’t. After hearing my scene description, he said it was good. I immediately requested him to do the movie then. His reply was that he couldn’t say no to me.”
